Final answer:
Gender dysphoria is a diagnostic category in DSM-5 that describes individuals who do not identify with their assumed gender. It must persist for at least six months and result in distress or dysfunction. The categorization is not universally accepted but assists in supporting those who need help.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gender dysphoria is a diagnostic category in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that describes individuals who do not identify as the gender that most people would assume they are. This dysphoria must persist for at least six months and result in significant distress or dysfunction to meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
It is important to note that not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria, and that its diagnostic categorization is not universally accepted. For example, in 2019, the World Health Organization reclassified 'gender identity disorder' as 'gender incongruence,' and categorized it under sexual health rather than a mental disorder.
However, health and mental health professionals indicate that the presence of the diagnostic category does assist in supporting those who need treatment or help.